Legislature briefs

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 1999 | 11:22 a.m.

Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, returned to the Legislature Monday after spending two days last week in the Carson-Tahoe Hospital Las Vegas.

Collins said he underwent a series of tests after feeling more-than-usual stress and was given a clean bill of health. In addition to the stress of the legislative session, he said, he had been experiencing added stress from his business in Las Vegas.

Senate passes Nevada Day bill

The Senate has passed and sent to the Assembly a bill to change Nevada Day to the last Friday in October to ensure a three-day weekend of the observation of the state entering the Union.

Nevada Day is Oct. 31. But, argued Assemblyman Mark Amodei, D-Carson City, when the holiday comes in the middle of the week, attendance at festivities in Carson City falls off. The state capital holds the state's biggest celebration.

"This was never a huge moneymaker." he said. "They've tried to make it self- sufficient. We're trying to keep it slipping off the economic edge."

Family Court bill passes unanimously

The first bill in a package of legislation to strengthen the Family Court system in Las Vegas cleared the Assembly 41-0 Monday.

Assembly Bill 49 allows the chief judge in a district to assign district judges in general jurisdiction to the Family Court. Assemblywoman Genie Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, said this is to prevent "judicial burnout," of judges who handle these contentious family court matters such as child custody and divorce.